Evanston police on the scene where a man's body was found by someone shoveling snow this morning.

Evanston police on the scene where a man's body was found by someone shoveling snow this morning. (Jeremy Gorner/Chicago Tribune)

Staff report

Authorities are investigating the apparent suicide in Evanston of a 33-year-old man suspected in two Chicago slayings Friday night, one downtown and one in Rogers Park, a few blocks from where the suspect was found dead.

The man, identified as Dante Simmons, of Rogers Park, was found about 8:15 a.m. by a man shoveling snow this morning in an alley just west of Metra Tracks behind a 3-story apartment building in the 100 block of Clyde Avenue in Evanston, police said. The Cook County medical examiner's office had been notified of a death at that location, but were confirming the man's identity because his family had not yet identified him.

Simmons appeared to have shot himself in the head, and investigators found a 9mm handgun nearby, according to a news release from Evanston police.

Simmons was wanted by the Chicago Police Department in connection with the slaying of a 22-year-old man at a River North Walgreens about 10 p.m. and in connection with another slaying, of a 15-year-old boy, near the Evanston border in the 1800 block of West Juneway Terrace, just south of Calvary Cemetery, according to a release from Evanston police. In that incident, a body was found near the corner of Chicago Avenue and Juneway.

Chicago Police, however, issued a statement later this afternoon that said Simmons was a suspect in the Walgreens' shooting, but did not confirm Simmons was a suspect in the Juneway homicide.

"Any connection between this subject and any other open homicide investigation has not been determined or verified at this time ... detectives are continuing their investigation," Chicago Police News Affairs said in a news release.

Authorities said Simmons lived in the 1600 block of West Juneway Terrace. Officials at first identified his first name as Donte, but later corrected the spelling, matching public records that give his name as Dante.

Earlier Friday evening, Evanston Police responded to a call of several shots fired just before 11 p.m. in the area of the 700 block of Seward Street. Evanston Police now believe the shots fired call on Seward was related to the homicide on Juneway, according to the release.

The victim in the homicide on Juneway was identified as Anton Sanders, 15, of the 4200 block of Golf Road in Skokie according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

A 9mm handgun also was used in the Juneway shooting, Evanston police said.